When Mercedes-Benz rolled out the first CLS model way back in 2004, no one could have predicted the faux-coupe craze that would sweep the automotive world. After the Stuttgarters strated the trend, everyone suddenly started doing four-door coupes, be they SUVs with sloping roofs or sedans.

Nowadays you can get a faux-coupe from just about every manufacturer - when it comes to Audi, the Ingolstadt manufacturer reserves the ‘Sportback’ tag for its four-door coupes, highlighting the sloping roof and the added dose of sportiness.

The latest 2019 Audi A7 arrived in the Middle East late last year, in its second-generation guise and all-new gubbins. The GCC-spec model of preference is the Audi A7 Sportback 55 TFSI. That mouthful equates to a 3.0-litre force-fed V6 engine driven all four wheels, because what’s an Audi without quattro… A seven-speed transmission does the work. You get 340 horsepower and 500Nm of torque in this specification, which is nothing too shabby at all. The grunt is good enough for a limited top speed of 250km/h, but with cameras everywhere you’ll likely appreciate the mid-range acceleration, as well as the zero to 100km/h sprint time of just 5.3 seconds. That’s bonafide sports car territory, so it will be interesting to see during our time with the A7 just how sporty the new second-gen car is.

For now, our first impressions are, impressive… The car certainly has presence rolling up to the office car park, and although it’s not as much of a styling statement as the predecessor, this new 2019 Audi A7 has plenty of neat details concealed within its unassuming design. The rear light bar stands out, but you’ll notice the front fascia is nestled lower down to appear sportier, with the bonnet sloping more aggressively into Audi’s signature grille. The big air intakes suggest anger and power, but really, it’s mostly just solid plastic. The designers restrained themselves and went with minimal chrome, while trick LED lights and lasers finish off the jewellery. 

Of course it’s the sloping roof that makes an Audi A7, and despite the compromise there is actually loads of space inside. It’s bigger all over compared to the previous A7, so it can swallow up to 1,390 litres with the rear seats down, and 535 litres with the seats in their normal position, which is quite substantial.

Being one of Audi’s flagship products, our long-term A7 also arrived full of kit that you’d normally associate with the brand’s most expensive cars, which means we have all sorts of gizmos to play with such as a latest-generation multimedia unit, Bang & Olufsen sound system, all-wheel steering, and more. For just over AED315,000 it seems like an awful lot of car for the money, and the next few months will be telling indeed. 

Consider that the new A7 is built not eh same platform as the A8, but the cars attract totally different buyers since the A7 sells on style as much as value. However the tech trickling down into the A7 is welcome, and this means the new model comes with better sound insulation and a more relaxed driving experience which is evident during the first grind home from work. This car is quiet and cosseting, and seemingly not in much of a rush. Despite ample power available at all times under your right foot, the transmission mapping and engine response is such that you feel happy just to cruise, which I guess is the mark of a good executive sedan.

Probably just as important to buyers in this segment, the car sure does turn heads, and it makes an impact on the street far more than a practical car should. Yes, we just called it practical - the 2019 A7 will actually rival an Audi A4 Avant for cabin room.

Of course we don’t plan on using it like a station wagon much - we’d rather enjoy some twisty roads, so in our next report we’ll find out how the new A7 lives up to the ‘sport’ bit in its Sportback tag.